R. Joe Harris Enjoys Faster Print Speeds, Better Quality and Improved Productivity

HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer provides flexible and fast color prints at lower costs for enhanced efficiency.

Civil engineering firm R. Joe Harris relied on two aging printers – one for mono and one for color. However, producing color prints could take up to five minutes, causing long queues with documents having to be manually collated, wasting valuable time. The company purchased and deployed the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer, which produces stunning large-format color prints in seconds and automates document collation. As a result, RJH is more productive
and efficient.

The Challenge: Consolidating Print Production

R. Joe Harris & Associates, Inc. (RJH) was founded in 1999 by R. Joe Harris, Jr. and has steadily grown to provide both civil engineering and land surveying services. RJH has been responsible for a variety of projects ranging from simple, single-task designs to multi-task/multi-phase projects. Its professional staff has extensive experience in municipal, residential and commercial projects.

Each project demands a huge amount of printing in terms of plans, schemata, renderings and contracts. Previously, RJH had relied on two separate devices – one to produce monoprints and one to handle color. However, as the demand for color prints spiraled, the old machine simply couldn’t provide the necessary speed. Moreover, documents had to be manually collated, causing a severe impact on productivity.

“Our customers have become more visually orientated and increasingly expect color to play a part in bringing designs to life,” explains Brandon Pridemore, VP, R. Joe Harris. “That’s why color output has risen to around 320 square foot per month from 40 square foot in the past.”

RJH wanted to consolidate these two aging devices into one printer that could deliver high-quality, color prints in an instant. The company approached long-time technology partner Duncan-Parnell for advice. Based on the anticipated print volume and customer requirements, it recommended the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer.

“We’ve worked with Duncan-Parnell since day one so we trust their advice and the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer clearly met our needs,” adds Pridemore. “It provides fast, sharp color and mono prints as well as scanning capability so we were keen to get it installed.”

The Solution: A Versatile and Reliable Print Platform

The award-winning HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer produces mono and color prints at lightning-fast speed without the need for manual assembly. It includes a stationary 40 inches (101.6cm) printbar that spans the whole printing width. As paper moves under the printbar, the entire page is printed in one pass, enabling very high printing speeds. A user-friendly interface makes it simple and intuitive to use, while the scanning functionality removes the need for another device.

“Duncan-Parnell came in and got the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer installed and up and running and provided some training on how best to use it by setting up preset profiles and templates,” continues Pridemore. “Then paid us a visit to make sure everything was working smoothly. It was a seamless transition to the new print platform.”

RJH primarily prints on 20lb bonded paper and Mylar while using the scanning function to collaborate efficiently with customers. RJH also offers its customers free color printing – a service that previously it had charged for.

“The new HP printer is so quick and cost-effective,  that it makes sense to produce material for our customers for free,”  says Pridemore. “It gives us an added edge, and they are delighted with the results.”

The Results: Faster Prints, Lower Costs

RJH now enjoys much faster printing at a higher quality than ever before – while the old printer took five minutes to produce an A1 print, the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer creates pristine color prints in seconds. As it is one consolidated machine, it automatically collates color and mono prints, for a more productive and efficient workplace.

“We used to spend hours manually collating documents, which is a waste of billable time. At the same time, the long print queues meant our teams were twiddling their thumbs waiting for prints to arrive. Now, entire sets are printed in a fraction of the time,” comments Pridemore. “We estimate that we have increased productivity by 40%, equivalent to $2,000 per month.”

The cost of consumables has also reduced dramatically, leading to cost savings further. RJH believes the cost per square foot has fallen by at least 1.5 cents, which, when you’re regularly printing 28,000 square feet per month, quickly adds up to huge savings.

In addition, the multi-functionality with integrated scanning capability has proven to be a huge bonus.  By creating a range of preset templates and profiles, RJH employees can quickly scan at the necessary detail and resolution without wasting time.

“For us, the biggest benefits are the speed, efficiency and the flexibility to print in color continuously.  Having all the functionality in one device also saves us significant premium floor space in the office,” remarks Pridemore. “And being able to offer our customers free quality color print services makes us more competitive.”

Now that the HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer has been reliably installed for almost one year, RJH is exploring the possibility of adding another HP PageWide XL printer to its offices. This will help the company scale up as business continues to grow.

“We expect to add another HP PageWide XL device in the near future as we have been delighted with the performance of this first printer,” concludes Pridemore. “It has genuinely transformed how we do business, making us more productive and efficient.”

Summary

Challenge

• R. Joe Harris (RJH) had an aging color printer that was causing delays and frustration
• It also had a separate mono printer, meaning that most print jobs required time-consuming manual collation
• The company wanted to introduce one consolidated print platform with faster speeds and better quality
• Reduce time to market for customers

Solution

• Acting on the advice of long-time technology partner, Duncan-Parnell, RJH installed an HP PageWide XL 5000 Multifunction Printer, which can produce superb color prints in a fraction of the time, while also integrating scanning functionality

Results

• Productivity has increased by 40% by removing the need for manual collation
• Consumable costs have been reduced, leading to thousands of dollars in savings per month
• The preset templates and profiles for scanning make it a much more efficient process
• One single unit for color, mono and scanning frees up precious floor space
• Print time for large-format color prints has reduced from five minutes to 20 seconds, reducing print queues